‘Nigerians voted for me in 1999, but military imposed Obasanjo’ – Olu Falae

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Finance Minister, Chief Samuel Oluyemi Falae, has claimed he was the rightful winner of Nigeria’s 1999 presidential election, asserting that the military imposed Olusegun Obasanjo to protect their interests.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Nigeria’s democratic journey, Falae said he contested under a joint platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and All People’s Party (APP), and defeated Obasanjo by a margin of 1.5 million votes.

He said the claim was later corroborated by the late Ambassador Antonio Oladeinde Fernandez, who allegedly confirmed seeing the actual results with American officials. “I have no doubt in my mind, and most Nigerians have no doubt whatsoever, that it was I that they voted for,” Falae stated.

Falae argued that the military establishment was uneasy about transferring power to a “thoroughbred civilian” like himself and preferred Obasanjo, a former Head of State, who they believed would shield them from future scrutiny.

He, however, dismissed the notion that he intended to investigate the military, noting that he had served under General Ibrahim Babangida for five years and had no interest in probing a regime he was part of. “But clearly, it was an excuse to do what they wanted to do,” he added.

According to Falae, while Obasanjo had to be persuaded to run, he had been preparing for the presidency for two years, engaging in focus group discussions, drafting a national blueprint, and developing detailed ministerial handbooks. His manifesto, titled New Directions for the Third Republic, was intended to enable him “hit the ground running”.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s electoral history, Falae declared that the country has not conducted any truly free and fair elections since the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential poll. “We have continued to stagger on, accepting substandard election results… not once have we had an election without long-drawn-out petitions,” he said.

He also decried the dominance of money and violence in Nigerian politics, concluding, “Money has become the determinant for winning.”